China’s Tencent is pursuing an acquisition of Rovio Entertainment, the Finnish maker of the Angry Birds game, according to people briefed on the situation. Such a deal would consolidate Tencent’s stranglehold on the gaming business.

Tencent is among several companies to approach Rovio about a possible purchase, one of the people said. Rovio is open to a deal although the Helsinki-based company might instead opt to stay independent and go public by the end of this year, the same person said. Rovio raised a $42 million series A round of financing in 2011. One person close to the situation said the price tag in any acquisition could be close to $3 billion, although an agreement is yet to be reached.

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With its overseas acquisitions, Tencent usually gives its foreign partners autonomy while helping them bring their games into China. It has, for example, turned Riot’s “League of Legends” into a major hit in China. Last year, after announcing the Supercell deal, Tencent started distributing the Finnish company’s games through its Chinese mobile platforms.